


A Vow I Intend to Honor

by gray_autumn_sky



Series: Underworld Fics [5]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 20:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15372678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gray_autumn_sky/pseuds/gray_autumn_sky
Summary: A short drabble inspired by the deleted scene from the 5A finale; Robin’s motivation for following Regina and the others into the Underworld.Written for OQ Secret Santa.





	A Vow I Intend to Honor

It’s snowing as they walk toward the shallow waters of the pond in silence, the gravity of their newest mission taking hold of them as they move forward with heavy hearts and somber faces—yet, in spite of it all, Regina finds herself smiling as she feels Robin’s fingers fold around hers, giving her hand a gentle tug forward. His touch is reassuring and his presence a reminder of his unwavering faith. She knows that he’s a reluctant traveler, and she knows he doesn’t have the same stake in the mission that the other do. Yet, he’s there with her, and for that, she’s grateful. 

Her smile fades as she thinks about the teary goodbyes from just an hour before, and how her heart had broken as she stood beside him as they said their goodbyes. Taking a breath, she closes her eyes and when she does, it’s impossible not to see Roland’s quivering jaw as he promised to be good and brave, and to look after his baby sister while they were away. He’d tried so hard to keep his composure, standing there stoically and smiling through teary eyes as he waved, his face crumbling as soon as he thought they were far enough from sight. Then, she thinks of Robin’s daughter, just days old and so innocent, nestled into the crook of a stranger’s arm, unknowing of the chaos she’s been born into and unknowing of the loving family she’s barely met.

“Wait.”

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Henry questions, his brow furrowing as he turns back to face her.

She sighs, shaking her head as her eyes look from Henry to Robin, then back again. “Everything about this is wrong, Henry.”

“Don’t try to talk me out of this,” he begins, as she feels Robin’s hand press into the small of her back. “Because I’m going, so if it’s not with…”

“I know. I get it,” she cuts in, frustrated that this is still a conversation she’s even having with her thirteen-year old son. She can hardly believe that she’s allowing it, but she knows Henry and she knows his heart, and she knows once he’s set his mind to something, there’s no stopping him. And she, of all people, can understand that—it is, after all, a trait they share, a trait he’s inherited from her.

“But you,” she says, taking a breath, she turns to face Robin. “You don’t have to do this.” Her voice is raspy and barely more than a whisper, hating that she feels compelled by her own debts and loyalties to set out on this god-forsaken quest, but hating that he feels compelled to follow when he has none. “Robin, I’ll understand if…”

“Regina,” he interjects in a voice that’s steady and firm, and so full of love. “There’s no way I’m letting you do this alone. I once made a vow to protect your heart and that’s a vow I intend to honor.” He leans in and kisses her forehead, smiling gently through pained eyes. “I’m coming with you. And that’s that.”

For several minutes, there’s a stalemate between them—she doesn’t back down, but neither does he.

“This isn’t going to be easy,” she murmurs, giving in as her eyes sink closed, admitting defeat.

“I’m under no delusions that it will be,” she hears him say, as she feels him give her hand a soft squeeze—offering the reassurance she knows she’ll need throughout this endeavor as she faces the fate she’d imposed upon countless victims and the demons of her past that still haunt her. She takes a breath, opening her eyes as she tries to push away the pangs of guilt she feels, knowing that focusing on it will do them no favors. “But if the last few months have taught me anything, it’s that it’s much easier to go through hell with someone you love at your side, than it is to do it alone.”

Her smile returns—faint, but full of gratitude as she wonders if there will ever come a day when he tries of this, when he tires of her—and, as they continue toward the icy water, she says a silent prayer that that’s a day that will never come.


End file.
